Since its launch in 2015, USAID Oceans has witnessed, first hand, a regional and international growing interest in the human welfare aspects of the fisheries sector. In July 2018, USAID Oceans’ partners convened to discuss human welfare and gender equity aspects of fisheries.

As part of USAID Oceans’ critical research phase that informed program approaches and intervention design, gender analyses were conducted in the program’s learning sites that identified key gaps, issues, and recommendations for more equitable fisheries value chains.

As is common across many countries in Southeast Asia, in Laos women play a key role in the processing and marketing of fish. Recognizing the importance of gender roles and equity in the fisheries sector, in early 2018 the Laos Department of Livestock and Fisheries (DLF) requested support from USAID Oceans to conduct a National Training Workshop on Gender Mainstreaming in Livestock and Fisheries Management and Development.

Over the last two years, USAID Oceans has been working with regional partners to develop the Sub-Regional Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) Plan for Managing Transboundary Fisheries in the Sulu-Sulawesi Seascape; the first known sub-regional EAFM plan in fisheries management literature.

USAID Oceans convened its 3rd Annual Regional Technical Working Group (TWG) Planning Workshop, July 16-18, 2018, in Bangkok, Thailand. Held at the timely juncture of USAID Oceans’ program mid-point, the workshop sought to elicit inputs and guidance from TWG members for the development of a set of regional guidelines on the adoption and use of electronic catch documentation and traceability systems that support sustainable fisheries management, human welfare, and leverage public-private partnerships.

New Tools & Resources

September 2018 marked the completion of the program’s third of its five years, with considerable success and milestones achieved since the program’s launch. This Annual Progress Report provides an overview of the Activity and its accomplishments in the 2018 Fiscal Year, covering the period of October 1, 2017, through September 30, 2018.

USAID Oceans is working to combat IUU fishing and enhance South East Asia’s fisheries through a multi-prong approach that takes into account the complexities of the issue and the people that it impacts.